Pieces We Won
by HecateA
Summary: Rose Weasley knows a lot of things, but she doesn't know how everyone in her family can always be so sad and so happy. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Hogwarts: **Assignment 8, Performing Arts Task #2 Write a fic from a child's point of view

**Warnings: **Grief

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**Stacked with:** Hogwarts; Shadows of Consequence; Cluster of Rainbows; Solemn Husbandry of Execution; Fall Bingo

**Individual Challenge(s):** Gryffindor MC (x3); Spring Rain; Seeds;

**Representation(s): **Weasley family; post Wizarding War

**Bonus Challenge(s): **Second Verse (Mouth of Babes); Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Innocence); Tiny Terror; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Tertiary Bonus Challenge(s):** Terse

**Word Count:** 932

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_**Fall Bingo**_

**Space (prompt): **4E (Pumpkin)

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**Pieces We Won **

"Time to vote—pancakes or French toast?" Daddy asked from the kitchen.

"Fwen toes," Hugo screamed.

"Pancakes!" Rose shouted.

"I vote pancakes," Mum said. She kissed Hugo on the cheek. "Sorry, sweetheart, but we've got blueberries and they've got to be used in pancakes."

That was the last conversation they had that morning. When Rose crawled onto Mum's lap with her book, Mum was happy to listen to her read out loud and gave her a high-five when she got the hard 'ph' sound right. Dad walked Hugo around the house to help him practise going up and down the stairs, but it was quiet and Mum and Dad felt… sad.

"Are we going to Victoire's birthday party?" Rose asked Dad when he was cleaning up after lunch.

"You bet," Daddy said, furrowing her hair. "You helped Mum wrap the present, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Rose answered. "I just wasn't sure if we were still going."

"Why is that, pumpkin?" Dad asked, frowning.

"Well you and Mum are sad," Rose said.

Daddy paused for a minute and looked down at Rosie for a second. Then he poked her three biggest freckles one after the other, like he did to wake her up or say goodnight or cheer her up.

"We're not sad, Rosie," Daddy said. "It's Victoire's birthday."

"Okay," Rose said. "Do you know what I know daddy?"

"I don't know," Dad said. "What do you know?"

"That 'victoire' means _victory _in French," Rose said. "I know it's true because Tatie Fleur told me. Victoire said that's why she's named that."

"You're right," Daddy said. "I heard that too."

"Oh," Rose said, slightly annoyed that he'd known all about this too. "Did you also know that frogs absorb water through their skin so that they never have to drink?"

"That's pretty cool," Daddy said. "Did you learn that from the book you were reading?"

"No, that's _The Princess and the Frog," _Rose said. "It's stories, not the truth. Can I bring my book to Victoire's party?"

"Sure," Daddy said. "Sure, but don't forget to spend time with your cousins too, okay?"

Rose kept her promise; she played with Victoire and Teddy and James and Al and Roxanne and Molly and Lucy. She did bring her book with her though, as they played in the sand and on the swings around Uncle Bill and Tatie Fleur's house. Meanwhile, the grown-ups sat at the picnic tables outside with the younger kids that couldn't keep up, drinking fruit punch and laughing. Then, the sky stopped being blue and got all grey, and it started raining. Everyone had to run inside.

"At least the cake didn't get wet," Al told Rose as they were shepherded inside by Uncle George.

"That's true," Rose said. Most of the grown-ups were laughing as they gathered up the party and brought it inside.

Mum and Dad were the last ones in, soaking wet and giggling. Both of them had their wands out and Victoire's presents were floating behind them.

"That should be all of them," Dad said.

"So heroic," Mum said with a laugh, looking at Dad. He kissed her cheek.

Uncle Percy dried them off with a quick spell and the presents drifted down to a table that Uncle Bill cleared off.

"Maybe this was our cue to move on to cake," Uncle Bill said. "Victo, what do you think of that?"

Rose could have told him that Victoire was _always _in the mood for cake—she loved sweet things all the time, and Grandma had helped Tatie Fleur make this cake so it was _huge _and covered in flowers made of buttercream. Victoire watched Uncle Harry try to smash some in Aunt Ginny's face, and then hide behind Dad when Aunt Ginny threw some cake back at him—which made everyone laugh.

Rose waited until it was a bit quieter and for Daddy to not have frosting in his hair anymore before she went to see him.

"You know what I know, daddy?" Rose said, closing her hand around his jeans.

"You know lots of things, pumpkin," Dad said. He poked his fork through another piece of cake and offered it to Rose, but she shook her head no.

"Is this about frogs again?" Dad asked, eating the biteful of cake instead. "I love when they're about frogs."

She shook her head. "It's about you. Because I know that every morning on Victoire's birthday is sad, but then there's a party and we eat cake and everybody gets all happy again. Every year."

"Hmm," Daddy said. He put his cake down on the fireplace mantel and crossed his arms. "You do know that, do you?"

Rose nodded again.

"You're smart like your mum," he said, poking at her freckles. Rose caught his hand.

"Can I make you happy like mum?" Rose asked. "So that you're not sad anymore?"

Dad picked her up and propped her on hip.

"You… you know how Victoire's name means 'winning' right?"

"I know that," Rose nodded.

Dad nodded.

"The thing about winning, Rosie, is that sometimes you don't win everything and you lose some pieces," Daddy explained. "So we're a little bit sad, because we lost some things. But then we're happy again because we remember that today's the day we won Victoire—and then we won you, and Hugo, and our whole family… so it's a happy day and a sad day too. But mostly happy. Because you make me the happiest, okay pumpkin? Always know that. Will you always know that?"

Rose nodded.

"Can I steal a bite of your cake now?" she asked.

Daddy laughed.


End file.
